?? for Don from NC

[pacmom]

We are taking the Viking trip from Antwerp to basel in April 2009. The search function is down--would love to hear about your trip--the boat, etc. Thanks Pat

[DonfromNC]

Pacmom,

 

Sorry to take so long answering. I’ve been doing some traveling and haven’t looked at the board lately. There’s not a lot I can tell you that’s not on the Viking website www.vikingrivercruises.com . There you can find layouts of the rooms and discussions of the itinerary and excursions. You’ll also get a couple of booklets in the mail, one with itinerary and trip information and another with a km by km description of what you are seeing as you travel up the river.

 

I’ll comment on a few personal observations from our trip on the Viking Sun in early August 2007.

 

When you book through the American office you get a trip designed for English-speaking guests. Everything is in English. The crew and all the tour guides speak English. On our Viking cruises we’ve met people from America, Canada, England, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines and Israel. I’m sure you miss some of the European culture because of it, but it sure makes everything easier.

 

The primary consideration in choosing our cabin was to minimize the number of stairs. My wife has back and leg problems which give her great difficulty handling steps. That eliminates the lower level for us as it would be up two flights to the lounge, three to the outside upper deck.. Our preference was the middle level which is on the floor with the lobby and the restaurant. As usual we didn’t decide to take the trip until the last minute and that level was unavailable. We wound up with an “A” cabin which is on the same level as the lounge and it worked out fine. I believe all except the “E” cabins are basically alike except for the windows. “A” cabins have a sliding “patio” door with a guard rail which is almost like having a balcony.

 

We were in #332 which was 3rd from the rear of the ship. Being at the rear of the ship the engine noise is louder than in the front. The people in the next cabin complained about it, but we thought it kind of soothing -- not at all objectionable. At night you can tell from the sound of the engine when the ship is maneuvering through a lock or something, and I sometimes like to look out to see what’s going on.

 

We wanted to book the Basel extension, but it was unavailable -- don’t know if it was already filled or if it wasn’t offered on that trip. We booked our air through Viking and they left little time to spare. There were huge delays at National Airport and we didn’t get there until after dinner the first night. That left no time to see Antwerp (or visit the diamond merchants, lucky for me?), but we had spent 10 days in Antwerp a few years ago so we were ok. Several people didn’t get there until noon the next day, after the included tour had left for Brugge. Viking arranged for another bus to take them for a ½ day tour to Brugge which was greatly appreciated. If you can I would recommend going a day early to properly see Antwerp. From the dock it’s quite a walk to the historic center. I recommend a taxi.

 

I didn’t intend to get into so much detail. Just ask if you have any more questions. We ran into some rainy, cloudy, hazy weather toward the end of the trip (and flooding which kept us from going past Strasbourg), but otherwise it was great. We’re trying to decide which trip to take next.

 

Remember your binoculars and have a great time.

[pacmom]

Don,

 

Thanks so much for the details. We have booked our own air with FFmiles thru USAir. We arrive in Brussels the day before the cruise and will train to Antwerp. We are on the deck with the windows that don't open, but have the hotel style beds. We have taken one other Viking cruise on the Elbe--a very good cruise which will be even better when they refurbish the boat. All those cabins are 120 sqft with the awful pullman beds. At the end of the cruise , we will spend 4 nites in Zurich and fly home from there. We are very much Uniworld travelers, but their cruise to Basel starts in amsterdam and spends too much time there. If you come up with any other suggestions, i.e. optional tours, please let me know.

Thanks Pat